Previous edition: 2009.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 363-387) and index.

Introduction : the Middle East and international relations / Louise Fawcett -- Part 1: Theoretical and historical overview -- International relations theory and the Middle East / Fred H. Lawson -- The emergence of the Middle East into the modern state system / Eugene L. Rogan -- The Cold War in the Middle East / Peter Sluglett -- The Middle East since the Cold War / Baghat Korany -- Part 2: Themes in international relations and international political economy -- Oil and political economy in the international relations of the Middle East / Giacomo Luciani -- The puzzle of political reform in the Middle East / Augustus Richard Norton -- The politics of identity in Middle East international relations / Raymond Hinnebusch -- Islam and international relations in the Middle East : from Umma to nation state / Peter Mandaville -- Alliances and regionalism in the Middle East / Louise Fawcett -- Middle East security : continuity amid change / Matteo Legrenzi and Marina Calculli -- Part 3: Key issues and actors -- Policymaking in the Middle East : complex realism / Anoushiravan Ehteshami and Raymond Hinnebusch -- The Arab-Israeli conflict / Charles Smith -- The rise and fall of the Oslo peace process / Avi Shlaim -- The international politics of the Gulf / F. Gregory Gause III -- The war for regime change in Iraq / Philip Robins -- The United States in the Middle East / Michael C. Hudson -- Europe in the Middle East / Rosemary Hollis.

This textbook offers an historical framework and up-to-date analysis of contemporary events in the Middle East. Bringing together leading scholars in the field, it presents a balanced and comprehensive assessment of the international politics of the region.